As used herein, reference to “washing” may include washing and drying dishes. Also, as used herein, reference to “dishes” includes dishes, glassware, bowls, pots, pans, silverware, serving utensils, glasses, cups, etc.
Various types of conventional dishwashers are commercially available, for example, for home use as built in units, for home use as portable units, and for commercial use. Conventional dishwashers are relatively large and require substantial floor space if free standing or require substantial under counter space if built in. Each conventional dishwasher typically has one or more racks in which the objects, such as dishes, glassware, pots, pans, silverware, etc. are placed. The rack is positioned in a housing or a cabinet. Water is directed to the objects intended to be washed. Drying usually is accomplished by an air flow through the housing and/or heat. It takes time, for example, several minutes, fully to load a conventional dishwasher, several minutes to unload it, and from about 30 to 60 minutes for washing and drying cycles of operation. There is a possibility of breakage of a dish in case one is pushed off its rack position by the water jets or of ineffective washing if a dish or utensil slips out of place and falls and blocks the rotating mechanism that sprays the water. Furthermore, it may take a fairly long time to wash a rack of dishes, regardless of the number of dishes in the rack; this can be a problem at home if only a small number of dishes are owned and the same dish or same-size dish may be required for use in multiple courses during a dinner. Operating a dishwasher through its entire cycle to wash only a few dishes can waste much energy, water and time. Even in a restaurant it may be desirable quickly to wash a single dish or only several dishes and may unnecessarily contribute to environmental pollution as soap is discharged into the sewer system.
Such conventional dishwashers require a large space. Sometimes the space is not conveniently available, e.g., in a relatively small kitchen or in a motorhome, airplane or boat. Even in a relatively large kitchen a large dishwasher requires space that may otherwise be used for storage.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fast acting dishwasher with a small footprint and volume. There also is a need for a dishwasher able conveniently to wash efficiently a small number of dishes or even a single dish.